Steel, gunpowder, and spellcasters

Chapter 494 Rebuilding the Nation (Part 10)
As the cathedral of the newly established archbishop, Maple Rock Cathedral is far more magnificent and splendid than any small church in the countryside or town.

Even the Gevordan Cathedral, which Hoddle considered extremely sacred, paled in comparison.

Standing in the square in front of Maplestone Cathedral, Houdel and his group of reserve officers didn't dare to breathe loudly.

We should not criticize these young people for their instinctive reaction, because the Maple Rock Cathedral was built so tall and steep precisely to make viewers dizzy and in awe when they look up at it.

Of course, there were also academic officers who had suffered from quizzes, major exams, in-class tests, end-of-month exams, midterm exams, and final exams, and they planned to give their unorthodox colleagues a little "surprise," so they deliberately did not tell the reserve officers the reason why "the written test will be held at Maplestone Cathedral."

If the unveiling of the Maplestone Cathedral was a wake-up call for Hodel, then the next figure to appear left Hodel completely bewildered.

Entering through the main entrance, which appears somewhat small against the backdrop of the cathedral's exterior, Houdel immediately spotted several tables set up side by side beneath the altar at the far end of the temple, with Blood Wolf himself clearly sitting behind them.

"What's going on?" Houdel panicked and frantically asked the person next to him, "You're here too? Are you here to proctor the exam?"

The other reserve officers were equally unprepared for this, and everyone stood at the cathedral entrance, not daring to go inside.

The next moment, something terrible happened to Houdel—the Blood Wolf beckoned to him.

"Is it aimed at me?" Hoddle grabbed Doug and Claude, asking incredulously, "Is it aimed at me?"

Doug and Claude resolutely removed Houdel's hand and silently stepped aside. Houdel, who had been hiding in the crowd, was instantly isolated.

Then, something even more terrifying happened—Blood Wolf waved again, this time clearly more impatient than before.

With nowhere to hide, Houdel had no choice but to bite the bullet and be the first to step under the dome of the Maplestone Cathedral.

Walking along the central passageway leading to the altar, even the faintest sound emanating from Hoddle was reflected back by the walls and vaulted ceiling, becoming clear and loud, causing him to unconsciously tiptoe and try his best not to make a sound.

On both sides of the aisle, there were originally rows of benches for lay believers to sit when participating in ceremonies.

At this moment, all the benches have been removed and replaced with sets of folding tables and benches, spaced far apart but neatly arranged.

The cathedral servants were busy placing writing instruments on the folding tables when they heard someone enter, and they all turned their eyes toward the doorway.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Houdel suddenly felt like he couldn't even walk properly. Every step he took felt like walking on shaky gravel, and everything felt awkward.

Fortunately, the church servants only glanced at him briefly before quickly returning to setting up the examination room.

Houdel walked cautiously to the altar and bowed obsequiously to the Blood Wolf, saying, "Your Excellency."

Blood Wolf merely glanced at him expressionlessly and pointed to the gray-haired clerk beside him.

"Soldier's badge." The old clerk held out his hand to Houdel.

Houdel handed over his military token.

"Are you Houdel?" the old clerk asked without looking up as he registered the information.

Under normal circumstances, Houdel would definitely retort with "Who the hell am I if I'm not Houdel?"

However, with Blood Wolf sitting right next to him watching, Houdel had no choice but to honestly answer, "Yes."

"age?"

"One month short of nineteen."

"Age?" the old clerk asked again, drawing out the question.

"eighteen."

"Place of origin?"

"Huh?" Houdel didn't understand.

"Where is home?"

“Oxhoof Valley,” Houdel thought for a moment, then added, “Iron Peak County.”

After confirming that the numbers matched, the old clerk took a number tag from the wooden box beside him and handed it to Houdel along with his military ID: "Wait over there, someone will take you to your seat in a bit."

The next reserve officer to be "verified" was Doug, and Hoddle watched with a bored expression as his friend went through the same question and answer process.

He didn't really understand why he had to go through all this trouble, but now was clearly not the right time to ask questions.

One by one, the reserve officers received their number plates and soon it was Claude's turn.

When the still-childish Claude pulled out his badge, Blood Wolf, who had been silent until now, finally spoke: "Claude Lee?"

Claude was stunned until his comrade behind him nudged him in the lower back, bringing him back to his senses.

"Yes, sir!" Claude hurriedly stood at attention and saluted. "It's me."

"How is your arrow wound healing?"

"It's all healed." Although the wound sometimes itched, Claude answered instinctively, "It's completely healed."

"You've grown quite a bit taller since the last time I saw you."

For some reason, Claude Lee's nose felt a little sore: "I've grown so much taller, and I'm always hungry. The company commander says I'm not full from eating."

Blood Wolf nodded.

Seeing this, the elderly clerk standing nearby became much more amiable when speaking to the young man in front of him.

Claude smoothly received his number and walked towards the other reserve officers waiting to be seated. Before he knew it, Houdel grabbed him by the neck with his elbow.

"You know him?" Houdel asked, whispering in his ear.

"Well... it's a long story." Claude hadn't quite recovered from his conversation with Blood Wolf, and he answered softly, "I wouldn't say we know each other."

"Go to hell! You call this knowing each other?" Houdel said bitterly. "I've never... never seen such a gentle expression on your face before."

Soon, all the reserve officers and commissioned officers received their number plates.

Several church servants came over and led the test subjects to the seats corresponding to their respective number plates.

Houdel's number plate read "198", which corresponds to the third-to-last row of seats.

The moment I sat down on the simple bench marked number 198, the world instantly changed.

The church dome was so high that it seemed about to fall and hit one's eyes.

My comrade was sitting just a few meters away from me, but it felt like there was a vast ocean between us.

Everyone looked at each other, ready to start a conversation, but no one dared to speak.

Houdel's heart was pounding, and he couldn't dry the sweat on his palms no matter how hard he tried.

In fact, just yesterday, he went to ask Company Commander Peter Bunier about the exam and was told that "the questions on this exam are very simple and not difficult at all."

However, when he actually sat in the examination room, he couldn't help but feel anxious.

Houdel needed something to distract himself, so he began to examine the number plate in his hand: It looked like pine? So exquisitely made! Such vibrant colors!
As he looked, Houdel suddenly realized something.

Number 198?
Doesn't that mean there are at least 198 people taking the exam?

However—Houdel craned his neck and looked around—even with all his comrades and the boys in leather boots combined, they didn't fill half the seats.

Is someone else going to take the exam?

Soon, Houdel found out—why he was only number 198?
Shortly after the reserve officers took their seats, a short figure appeared at the main entrance of the cathedral, peering in and out. He was then beckoned to by Blood Wolf from afar and reluctantly walked toward the altar.

Upon recognizing the visitor, Houdel was astonished.

He is the infamous Blood Wolf Champion – Company Commander Peter Bunier.

Then more company-level officers filed into Maplestone Cathedral: Li Wei, Shao Luoshi, Rolf... each one a prominent figure in the Iron Peak County Army.

This time, even the solemn atmosphere of the examination hall could no longer suppress the candidates' curiosity.

The reserve officers began exchanging glances and lip-reading, asking each other, "What's going on? Even the company commander has to take a test?"

If the appearance of the company commanders had already caught the reserve officers off guard, then the next person to appear was truly jaw-dropping for Houdel.

Tamas, Bart Sharing, and the hot new battalion commander Lannis, accompanied Sergeant Ish Sweetwater, whom Hoddle had just met that morning, as they walked into Maplestone Cathedral, chatting and laughing.

Then came the commanders of the wolf rider unit—Pierre Mitchell and Vasika Morozov.

Houdel then realized that this was not just an exam for reserve officers—but an exam for all officers who had not attended military academy.

He immediately thought: If officers at the company, battalion, and even regimental levels have to take exams, what about troops stationed in other regions?
It is likely that at this very moment, the same test is being held in areas controlled by friendly forces, such as Vaughan County, Iron Peak County, and even White Mountain County.

This was a unified examination covering the newly reclaimed provinces, far exceeding Hoddle's boldest imagination.

"Please, please," Houdel looked up at the unnamed saint painted on the church dome and prayed with such devotion for the first time in his life, "please don't give me any questions that are too difficult."

……

Just as Houdl was praying desperately, Winters took a flat, round silver box from his pocket, opened the lid, and placed it on the table in front of the altar of Maplestone Cathedral.

It was Winters' idea to use the cathedral as the examination venue.

On the one hand, it is to put some psychological pressure on the test subjects and deter anyone who wants to cheat;

The main reason is actually that: after searching all over Maplestone, no place is more suitable as an examination venue than the Cathedral.

Other public buildings that were considered were either not large enough – such as the city hall auditorium;

Either it has nothing but a large space—like the parade ground of a military camp in the city.

Besides Maplestone Cathedral, where else can you find a good place that is sheltered from the wind and sun, well-ventilated, moderately lit, spacious, and has plenty of tables, chairs, pens, ink, and paper?

Using the cathedral as an examination hall was a brilliant idea; Winters couldn't help but applaud himself. The only obstacle was the Archbishop's mood.

Fortunately, Father Carmen had enough influence that the Archbishop of New Reclamation readily lent out his cathedral and generously provided all the writing tools needed for the examination in Maplestone.

The Nuremberg clock on the table ticked away.

As the luminous hands reached the eighth mark, the bells of Maplestone Cathedral rang out.

The examination room fell silent instantly.

“Let’s begin,” Winters ordered.

A church servant carrying stacks of exam papers emerged from the back chapel, as if cradling relics of a saint.

They walked side by side to the tables and chairs neatly arranged in the temple and solemnly distributed the test questions to the officers and prospective officers of the new republic.

Winters stood on the steps in front of the altar, watching the exam papers being handed out from the first row to the last.

"Two hours," he announced authoritatively. "Good luck."

……

Houdel was completely dumbfounded.

Large beads of sweat dripped from his forehead, while his fingertips and toes remained icy cold.

Of the six sheets of exam questions, he could only do some arithmetic and geometry problems on the second sheet; he couldn't do any of the other five.

It's not that we "can't" do it, but that we "cannot" do it.

Because he couldn't understand the exam questions at all.

Before enlisting, Houdel had never attended school. After officially joining the army, under the literal "encouragement" of Lu Xirong and other soldiers, he learned some words and some knowledge other than shooting and horseback riding.

Houdel was initially quite pleased with himself, because among the new recruits, he was the one who learned things the fastest and most effectively.

However, when he faced a real exam, he suddenly realized that what he had learned was simply not enough.

He could recognize a few of the words in the question when taken out individually.

But when placed within sentences, Houdel couldn't understand them. Those entire lines and paragraphs of sentences were like gibberish to Houdel.

The more Houdel read, the drier his mouth became and the more his eyes glazed over.

Suddenly, the sound of boots striking stone slabs came from the altar ahead.

In the completely silent examination room, this sound was particularly jarring.

Houdel immediately recognized the unique sound as the footsteps of the Blood Wolf.

He dared not look up, and could only frantically pray that the blood wolf would not come toward him.

But what you fear most is what happens. The Blood Wolf's footsteps didn't move away; instead, they grew closer and closer, finally stopping in front of Houdel's table.

Sunlight streamed through the cathedral's skylight, casting the shadow of the blood wolf onto Houdl's empty exam paper.

Only a few seconds had passed, but it felt to Houdel as if a thousand years had gone by.

He wanted to hide the exam paper, crumple it up, tear it up, or eat it—anything to prevent Blood Wolf from seeing it.

But he could do nothing; he was paralyzed.

Houdel was terrified, afraid that the Blood Wolf would sigh, shake its head, or angrily slap itself.

But in the end, Blood Wolf said nothing and simply walked away silently.

Houdel's dignity crumbled as a result.

He burst into tears.

……

Winters pushed open the door to the copy room in the cathedral's back hall, startling Mason, who was dozing off.

"How was it?" Mason rubbed his sleepy eyes, wiped the drool from his mouth, and asked with a smile, "Did I make the question too easy?"

“It’s too easy,” Winters said seriously. “But… it’s also too difficult.”

……

Two hours passed quickly, and Houdel didn't know how he got through them.

Another bell rang, and the voice of the blood wolf came from the altar:
"Those who have finished the exam, please leave your exam papers on the table and leave the examination room."

Houdel wiped away his tears and tried his best to pretend that he hadn't cried.

Blood Wolf then issued a second order:

"Those who cannot understand the exam paper—stay where you are!"

Houdel was stunned.

"Those leaving the examination hall, do not disperse, line up in the square." Blood Wolf's voice clearly reached everyone's ears: "We'll have lunch at the City Hall at noon, and in the afternoon we'll all depart for Maple Leaf Fortress to participate in the military skills test—do you understand?"

"Listen carefully." A buzzing voice echoed under the dome.

“I didn’t hear you clearly.” Winters frowned.

"Listen clearly!"

Winters waved his hand: "Execute the order."

……

People around him started leaving one after another, and Houdel gritted his teeth and decided to stay where he was.

When Maplestone Cathedral returned to calm, the "Boot Boys" had all left, but most of the reserve officers of Iron Peak County Army did not leave the examination hall.

Winters stepped onto the altar and uttered a startling statement: "I apologize to you."

Houdel dared not look up.

“If test takers can’t even read the exam paper, then it’s the test organizers’ fault,” Winters said apologetically, pausing for a moment. “You’ll get an extra hour—don’t waste it.”

Houdel was initially confused, but soon he was led by a clerk to a prayer room in the cathedral’s attached monastery.

Meanwhile, other reserve officers were led out of the cathedral by clerks, but each was taken to a separate room.

The city hall clerk, who had been urgently summoned, explained to Houdel with a smile: "Your Excellency understands that you may not be able to 'read' the exam paper, so from now on, I will read the questions to you, and you only need to answer verbally."

“You have one hour.” The city hall clerk placed an hourglass on the table and wrote “[Illiterate]” in red ink on Houdel’s exam paper, then scratched his head. “But you’d better hurry, because I have to go help other… gentlemen.”

……

With the help of the clerk, Houdel finally finished the exam.

At noon, Houdel ate a huge meal, swallowing the stewed pig's head meat along with his tears.

In the afternoon, he vented all his humiliation and anger on the targets and straw men.

The military skills test subjects were child's play for veterans like Houdel.

Whether it was riding a horse, shooting, throwing grenades, or wearing armor, maintaining weapons, digging trenches and building fortifications, he did everything exceptionally well, far surpassing those "booties" who couldn't even shoot accurately, and he finally got his revenge.

The only thing that puzzled Houdel was the last subject of the "military skills test".

Houdel was led to a quiet room with a table on which sat a pair of large, hollow glass spheres.

Houdel swore he had never seen such a large, transparent, and exquisite glass ball in his life.

Some smoky-like things floated inside the glass ball, which was quite a sight.

The officer in charge of the exam was someone Houdel had never seen before, but he was very handsome, and even Houdel couldn't help but glance at him a few more times.

The handsome officer asked Houdel a few questions and then asked him to do some inexplicable things.

After a few times, the handsome officer clearly lost interest and simply sent Houdel away.

That night, back at the barracks, Houdel pondered until late into the night, still unable to figure out what this final test was supposed to be about.

But as he was thinking, he fell asleep.

In his dream, he filled the exam paper to the brim.

……

Meanwhile, in the temporary examination room of the Maplestone City Hall.

"Damn it!" Andrei jumped off the recliner, slammed the exam paper and the red ink stick in his hand onto the table, and couldn't help but curse, "What kind of garbage is this?!"

……

Meanwhile, in the officers' quarters of Maplestone, at Winters' home.

Winters looked at Claude Lee in front of him, then at the other person beside him, and was utterly dumbfounded: "What... you're one too?"

Standing next to Claude Lee, Vahika grinned foolishly.

[Oral questionnaire responses, based on previously seen materials about the New Fourth Army's literacy campaign]
[Because many soldiers and officers from impoverished backgrounds were illiterate, this was the only way they could participate in the literacy assessment.]
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